93: Peking Duck at Gourmet House of Hong Kong

We're working up our appetites for our huge Best of Phoenix issue, out September 30, with daily servings of Chow Bella's 100 Favorite Dishes from across the Valley -- in no particular order

Leave your suggestions for upcoming favorites in the comments section.

Visit our sister blog, Jackalope Ranch, for a companion series on 100 Creatives who make Phoenix a little more interesting for all of us. We'll be posting the next 92 picks daily through the rest of the summer.

I know life is good when I head to this unassuming McDowell Road eatery to meet a friend for lunch, because there's always something delicious to be had. It's a huge menu to sample, but the Peking duck is hard to resist.

The glossy, deeply caramel-colored skin is the highlight -- it's so thin it's translucent, and the texture is delicately crispy. Beneath it, there's moist, rich meat and fat that melts in your mouth. To get the full experience, take a piece of warm, floury pancake and roll up some duck meat with a dab of sweet hoisin and slivers of green onion.

Between bites of duck and sips of hot tea, you'll surprise yourself at how much you can eat.